Army vet receives Medal of Honor for Afghan fight

WASHINGTON - An Army veteran received the Medal of Honor Monday for his courageous leadership during a daylong firefight in Afghanistan.

President Obama presented former Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha with the honor at a White House ceremony.

The president described the dramatic 2009 battle near the Pakistan border where U. S. troops at an outpost were heavily outnumbers. He said Romesha led the troops despite being hit by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade.

Guests at the ceremony, including the military's top leaders and former Medal of Honor recipients, cried as Obama named the eight Americans who died in the conflict. Obama says U.S. troops fight courageously for freedom, for their country and for their families, but also to keep their fellow troops safe.